“Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants” Movie
Yesterday I saw the movie “Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants”, which starred: Amber Rose Tamblyn, Alexis Bledel, Blake Lively, America Ferrera and Bradley Whitford.
The story line involved the following: “Based on the best-selling novel by Ann Brashares, the story centers on four best friends--Lena (Alexis Bledel), Tibby (Amber Tamblyn), Bridget (Blake Lively) and Carmen (America Ferrera)--who realize that they are about to spend their first summer away from each other. On one last shopping spree, they find a pair of jeans that fits all of them, odd considering their different body shapes. It must mean the pants are magical and will bring them good luck. So the girls make a pack that each of them will spend one week with the pants and then send them off to the next girl. Lena, the shy, self-conscious artist, who is spending the summer in Greece with her grandparents, takes the pants first--and meets the hunky Kostas (Michael Rady). Tibby, a rebel ''suckumentary'' filmmaker, who marches to the beat of her own drum, gets them next. But as tough as Tibby thinks she is, she learns some invaluable life lessons through her chance encounter with an extraordinary girl, Bailey (Jenna Boyd). Then it's Bridget's turn, a vivacious blonde, who spends her summer playing soccer in Mexico and displays some reckless behavior with a hands-off camp coach (Mike Vogel). Finally, there's Carmen, a spit-fire writer, who decides to spend some quality time with her wayward dad. Yet, upon arrival, she is greeted with a not-so-pleasant surprise when her father (Bradley Whitford) introduces her to his very white-bred fiancéé (Nancy Travis) and her two teenage children. These four realize in the end whatever magic there is comes from their enduring friendship.”
I give the movie a “B”, and the movie is worth the price of an admission ticket, a large popcorn and a small soft drink. The movie was girls growing up, and it was an enjoyable slice of life film.
“Herbie: Fully Loaded” Movie
Yesterday I saw the movie “Herbie: Fully Loaded”, which starred: Lindsay Lohan, Justin Long, Breckin Meyer, Matt Dillon and Michael Keaton.
The plot involved the following: “With college graduation now behind her, Maggie Peyton (Lindsay Lohan), a third-generation member of a famous NASCAR family, looks forward to her new life in New York working for ESPN. But when Maggie's widower father (Michael Keaton) takes her to the junkyard to pick out a car, fate is about to lead her in another direction. Because it's there that she meets Herbie, a sad little Volkswagen Bug, waiting to become scrap metal. With a little persuasion from the bug himself, Maggie decides to take the old, beat up #53 home and quickly realizes this little car has a mind of his own. Herbie takes her on a wild ride, culminating in beating the reigning NASCAR champ, Trip Murphy (Matt Dillon), in an impromptu street race. Humiliated, Trip will do anything to keep his position at the top and demands a rematch. But Maggie knows she needs to fix Herbie up first and asks her old friend, car mechanic Kevin (Justin Long), for help. Even though her father has forbidden her to race, Maggie has got it in her blood, and in order to save her family's name and business, she's going to team up with the unstoppable Herbie to stake her claim. You can take the girl out of the race, but you can't take the race out of the girl.”
I would rate the movie a “B”, and it is the worth of an admission ticket, a medium popcorn and a medium soft drink. The racing scenes were the best parts of the movie. It was an entertaining film, and I enjoyed it.
“Bewitched” Movie
Yesterday I saw the movie “Bewitched”, which starred: Nicole Kidman, Will Ferrell, Shirley MacLaine, Michael Caine and Steve Carell.
The storyline involved the following: “Nora Ephron directed and co-wrote this updated adaptation of a classic situation comedy that also casts a satirical eye on the entertainment industry. Jack Wyatt (Will Ferrell) is a movie star whose career has been going into a slow and steady decline. Desperate for a project that will give his reputation a jump start, Jack agrees to star in a film version of the once-popular television series Bewitched as hapless hubby Darrin Stephens, under the condition that an unknown actress be cast as the female lead so he won't be upstaged. After auditioning dozens of women who fail to make the grade, Jack meets lovely and charming Isabel Bigelow (Nicole Kidman), and is immediately certain she's the perfect choice to play witch-turned-housewife Samantha. However, there's one thing neither Jack nor the producers of the film know -- Isabel really is a witch, and while she's been trying to get along without her powers to better fit in among mortals, she will use her special talents when need be. The film also stars Michael Caine as Isabel's father, Nigel, Shirley MacLaine as Iris Smythson (the actress hired to play Endora), and Jason Schwartzman as a producer. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide.”
I would rate the movie a “B”, and it is the worth of an admission ticket, a medium popcorn and a medium soft drink. It was a good funny movie, but the script writers tried too hard to get every character in the old TV series into the movie. Will Ferrel and Nicole Kidman did a good job.
“The Honeymooners” Movie
On Monday I saw the movie “The Honeymooners”, which starred:Cedric The Entertainer, Mike Epps, Regina Hall, Gabrielle Union and Eric Stoltz.
The movie story involved the following: “No, instead of wanting to knock her block off, New York City bus driver Ralph Kramden (Cedric the Entertainer) sweetly offers to take his soon-to-be longsuffering wife, Alice (Gabrielle Union), to the moon, promising her he'll be making it very big very soon. Six years into the marriage, Ralph is still driving a bus, Alice is a waitress, and the two live in a rundown tenement apartment. But Ralph hasn't given up on his dreams to take his family to the next level. He is convinced he is just one great idea away from instant wealth and elicits help from his encouraging, if slightly ditzy, best friend and upstairs neighbor, Ed Norton (Mike Epps). He's always there to lend a hand when Ralph goes off halfcocked on another half-baked idea. But Alice has set her sights on a more practical goal: buying a duplex fixer-upper with Ed and his wife, Trixie (Regina Hall). And when Ralph expectedly loses their down payment on yet another failed project, he has to come up with the cash right quick before Alice sends him to the moon. Without a space suit. Let the hilarity ensue!”
I give this movie a “C+”, and it is the worth of an admission ticket, a small popcorn and a small soft drink. The movie had its moments for comedy, but Gabreille Union and Mike Epps were weak in their roles.
“Batman Begins” Movie
Yesterday I saw the movie “Batman Begins”, which starred: Christian Bale, Ken Watanabe, Cillian Murphy, Morgan Freeman, Katie Holmes and Michael Caine.
The plot involved the following: “For the first time, the tale is centered firmly on the Batman himself, or in this case Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale), and not on one of his over-the-top enemies. Now, the non-comics audiences can witness--and understand--the sequence of events that led an orphaned billionaire to dress up like a bat and scare the bejeezus out of bad guys. Expanding The Batman's world beyond the claustrophobic confines of Gotham, the film opens on a tormented and rudderless Wayne abroad in Asia, recruited by hypnotic Henri Ducard (Liam Neeson) to join the world-redefining forces of the enigmatic Ra's al Ghul (Ken Watanabe) by way of some serious ninja schooling. All the while Bruce flashes back on his parents' violent murder and his growing sense of impotence against injustice, despite the attentions of childhood sweetie and future D.A. Rachel Dawes (Katie Holmes). Unwilling to mete out Ra's extreme form of ''justice,'' Wayne returns to Gotham City to launch his own unique campaign to clean up the city's corrupt and crime-plagued streets, with three key allies: his faithful family valet Alfred Pennyworth (Michael Caine); Gotham's only clean cop, Jim Gordon (Gary Oldman); and tech-savvy Lucius Fox (Morgan Freeman), who provides the Batman's wonderful toys from Wayne Enterprises' experimental arsenal. Now trying on two different masks--Batman's crime-hating fury for the back alleys and a foppish playboy faççade for the public--Wayne soon finds himself pitted against an inventive doomsday plot instigated by psychologist Dr. Jonathan Crane, better known as the sinister Scarecrow (Cillian Murphy), who uses fear as a weapon almost as formidably as The Batman himself. We're finally given a noble post-modern Batman who, with compelling motivation, will not resort to lethal force.”
I give the movie a “B+”, and the movie is worth the price of an admission ticket, a large popcorn and a medium soft drink. The film was an excellent action movie, and it had many fine actors.
Reurn of Sasquatch Manuscript
Today I'm working on my manuscript: The Omak Lake Monster. I'm getting it ready for publication. I need to confirm whether certain corrections were made to manuscript by the publishers. It won't take long.
Yesterday I worked on my next manuscript project: Return of Sasquatch. It will be a short novel about a meeting with Sasquatch creatures on the Colville Indian Reservation. Again it will be an action novel.
“Mr, & Mrs. Smith” Movie
On Monday afternoon, I saw the movie “Mr, & Mrs. Smith”, which starred: Angelina Jolie, Brad Pitt, Adam Brody, Vince Vaughn and Angela Bassett.
The storyline involved the following: “Couples therapy is for the birds. Trying to annihilate one another with high-tech weaponry is the best way to spice up a dull marriage. So say John (Brad Pitt) and Jane Smith (Angelina Jolie), a seemingly ordinary suburban couple stuck in a six-year, lifeless marriage. They learn this helpful marriage tip firsthand after discovering each other's ''little'' secret. Seems they are actually two of the world's most deadly assassins, but they work for competing companies. Yeah, you'd think something like that would have come up at some point while eating at the breakfast nook. Of course, once the secret is out, there's no turning back. Now hired to assassinate each other, the fun really begins as the once-bitter Smiths discover a newfound source of excitement in their marriage. Oh boy, do they ever. So, does one of them kill the other to keep their job? Or should the two hottest people on the planet--after shooting up their house and beating the holy whaley out of each other--reconcile and get blood all over each other while having steamy sex? You decide.”
I give the movie a “B+”, and the movie is worth the price of an admission ticket, a large popcorn and a medium soft drink. The film was entertaining and pleasing, and there was plaenty of violence, gun play and action.
“Cinderella Man” Movie
Yesterday I saw the movie “Cinderella Man”, which starred: Russell Crowe, Renée Zellweger, Bruce McGill, Ariel Waller and Paddy Considine.
The storyline involved the following: “As one of history's better sports stories, Cinderella Man focuses on legendary prizefighter James J. Braddock (Russell Crowe), who, during the Great Depression, became a common-man hero. Once a boxer on the rise, Braddock hits rock bottom with the rest of the broken-down, beaten-up and out-of-luck American populace, and is forced to give up his dreams of being a world champion to find work. We get to sit around with Braddock, his loving, supportive but weepy wife Mae (Renee Zellweger) and their starving, cold children for the first hour of the film, feeling mightily depressed indeed. But then things pick up when Braddock gets a last-chance bid to make something of himself by returning to the ring. Spurred on by an inner determination--and his hardnosed manager, Joe (Paul Giamatti)--Braddock miraculously makes an almost mythical rise to the top. The underdog to beat all underdogs--yes, even topping a nobody horse named Seabiscuit--the pugilist ends up taking on the heavyweight champ of the world, Max Baer (Craig Bierko), who's renowned for having killed two men in the ring. And wins. The roar from the people, who look to their ''Cinderella Man'' as their champion, is deafening.”
I give the movie a “B+”, and the movie is worth the price of an admission ticket, a large popcorn and a medium soft drink. The movie had excellent acting, but there was little room for character development. The movie was very predictable.
Omak Lake Monster Manuscript
I'm back home. Yesterday I worked on proof reading my manuscript: The Omak Lake Monster. I'm still finding mistakes and omissions, but I'm making good progress. I should be done with the manuscript early next week.
Fort Mojave Indian Reservation
I'm on the Fort Mojave Indian Reservation, and I'm staying at the AVI Resort, Luaghlin, Nevada. I'm working as a Pro Tempo Judge with the Fort Mojave Tribal Court. I'll return home on Thursday.
“Longest Yard” Movie
Today I saw the movie “Longest Yard”, which starred: Adam Sandler, Chris Rock, Burt Reynolds, William Fichtner and James Cromwell.
The story line involved the following: “Former NFL star quarterback Paul Crewe (Sandler) doesn't really like himself much these days. Unproven accusations of points shaving have sent Crewe into a downward spiral of drunkenness and self-destructive behavior. It all comes to a very bad end one night when he takes a wild joyride in his girlfriend's Bentley, with cops in pursuit. Crewe is sent to a Texas penitentiary, where he figures he'll just quietly ride out his time in hopes of leaving a changed man. The sadistic warden (James Cromwell), however, has other plans for Crewe. He forces the quarterback to transform a diverse group of inmates into a football team so that they can play his elite semi-pro team of guards. You know, to make the guards look good when they crush the convicts. What the warden doesn't expect is how far Crewe--with the help of fellow inmates Nate Scarborough (Burt Reynolds) and Caretaker (Rock)--takes his task. He recruits his unlikely but somewhat talented teammates with the promise that they'll get a chance to exact revenge on the guards during anything-goes bone-crushing showdown. This is Crewe's one chance to redeem himself. Can he do it? You can do it, Paul!”
I would rate the movie a “B”, and it is the worth of an admission ticket, a medium popcorn and a medium soft drink. For a remake, it was an enjoyable movie, though, at times, the movie’s action was unreal.
Omak Lake Monster Manuscript
Everything is going well at the Fort Mojave Tribal Court. I've found time to work on the final draft of my manuscript: The Omak Lake Monster. Next week I will be submitting it for publication
